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Police Beat: Stray Bricks; A Clay Thief Gets Away

Motor vehicle accidents, noise complaints and the need for crowd control at several large events kept police in all six Island towns busy over the weekend.

Edgartown

Just before 1 a.m. on Saturday Edgartown police observed a man hanging out the window of a sport utility vehicle on Main street. The vehicle was moving through a crowd of people near the Wharf Restaurant when the driver began to blow the horn and the person hanging out the window began yelling.

Officers observed the passenger grab a male outside the car and strike him several times. Richard Siskey, 20, of Charlotte, N.C., was charged with assault and battery.

On Saturday afternoon just before 2 p.m. police were contacted by the owner of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle who reported someone had damaged his bike while it was parked on Dock street, and then left the scene. Several hours later, police were again called to Dock street, this time about a heated argument between the motorcycle owner and a taxi driver.

Police said an eyewitness had told the motorcycle owner the taxi driver backed into his Harley Davidson and then left the scene. The taxi driver was issued a summons for leaving the scene of an accident.

At about 3:45 a.m. on Friday police received a report that someone had broken a window at Summer Shades on Main street. Police searched the area and found several bricks that may have been used to break the window, although no suspects were found. The owner arrived to perform an inventory and concluded no items were stolen. The investigation is ongoing.

At about 12:30 p.m. Friday police received a report that someone had driven off the embankment on the pond side of State Beach near the Big Bridge. When police arrived they found that a 2002 Ford pickup truck had slid down the embankment from a no parking zone. The driver later told police he had parked there for years.

Just after 6 p.m. police received a call of a stolen motor vehicle from a residence on Meshacket Road. The owner of the vehicle told police he had left the keys in the car and came out an hour later to find it gone. The vehicle was later recovered on Great Plains Road in West Tisbury.

Aquinnah

Aquinnah police on Tuesday assisted with a call for a medical emergency at about 9:30 a.m. on Black Brook Road. Just before noon the same day police responded to a call of a faulty gas line on Sky Lane; the fire chief determined there was no danger.

At about noon Wednesday police received a report that someone was climbing on the cliffs at Aquinnah Circle and stealing clay. Sgt. Paul Manning responded on a police all-terrain vehicle; chief Randhi Belain interviewed the person who reported the incident. Police searched the area but found no one climbing on the cliffs.

Just after 7:15 p.m. there was a call from the Edgartown police department asking Aquinnah police to check on the welfare of a citizen fishing near Lobsterville Beach.

On Friday at about 11 a.m Aquinnah police assisted Chilmark police in responding to a moped accident near Chocker’s Lane. Chilmark police asked for help largely because they were busy with the Chilmark Road Race. A female passenger on the moped was eventually transported by ambulance to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for treatment.

At about 6:30 p.m. police responded to a call about loud motorcycle noise on Moshup Trail.

West Tisbury

West Tisbury police responded to 60 calls for service from Tuesday through Sunday.

On Friday just before 11 p.m. police responded to a single motorcycle accident on State Road near the intersection of Old County Road. A tree hanging over the road suddenly fell into the roadway, forcing the motorcycle off the road. Both the driver and his passenger were injured and transported by ambulance to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for treatment.

Just before midnight on Sunday police responded to a complaint about noise on Oak Lane. People at the home were told to quiet down, and they complied.